- Gabriel Perez, Trump’s teleprompter operator since 2016, allegedly won more than US$100,000 (AU$143,000) on Kalshi’s “Mentions” market across a dozen speeches, according to an ABC News report.
- Kalshi’s surveillance team flagged, investigated and referred the trades to the CFTC, head of enforcement Robert DeNault confirmed, and regulators have reportedly discussed a settlement requiring Perez to return his profits.
- The White House placed Perez on unpaid administrative leave; no charges have been filed, federal prosecutors reportedly declined a criminal case, and Perez has not commented publicly.
President Trump’s longtime teleprompter operator allegedly used advanced knowledge of the president’s speeches to win more than US$100,000 (AU$143,000) on Kalshi prediction markets, according to an ABC News report that prompted the White House to suspend him while he discusses a settlement with the CFTC.
Gabriel Perez, a technical assistant to the president, has operated Trump’s teleprompter since the 2016 campaign. He typically has final eyes on nearly all of the president’s prepared remarks and receives last-minute edits from Trump himself, the report said.
The alleged bets ran through Kalshi’s “Mentions” market, where users wager on whether specific words, phrases or topics come up in a public speech.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, ABC News reported that CFTC investigators tied Perez to bets on more than a dozen Trump speeches over a three-month stretch, including February’s State of the Union address, a December primetime address, January remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos and a March Medal of Honor ceremony.
Investigators also found instances where Perez backed out of bets mid-speech when Trump skipped over a passage containing words he had wagered on, according to the report.
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Kalshi Flagged Its Own Market
Kalshi, the CFTC-regulated event-contract exchange, identified the activity itself. “Kalshi surveillance team promptly flagged, investigated and referred these trades” to the regulator, head of enforcement Robert DeNault stated.
“We have been assisting regulators on this matter and provided all evidence that we collected, as we do with any referral.” The CFTC has defended the exchange’s federal footing before, joining the Justice Department in April court action against state gambling orders aimed at regulated prediction platforms.
CFTC officials have discussed settlement terms that would require Perez to hand back his profits and refrain from similar trades, and Perez acknowledged some of the trades in an interview with regulators, the report said.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan reportedly declined to open a criminal investigation. No charges of any kind have been filed, and Perez has not commented publicly.
White House Calls It a Disgrace
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Perez was placed on unpaid administrative leave, and said Trump made the decision personally after calling the matter a “disgrace”. Leavitt described the situation as unfortunate, and the White House noted it holds staff to strict ethics guidelines.
Congress has been weighing insider-trading rules for prediction markets as event-contract volumes surge, with Kalshi and Polymarket clearing a combined US$18.3 billion (AU$26.17 billion) in monthly trading as of February, and both platforms have rolled out self-regulation measures in response.
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